Apparatus for changing the position of bar stock moving over a roll table



y 1, 1965 K. KLOTZBACH 3,

APPARATUS FOR CHANGING THE POSITION 0F BAR STOCK MOVING OVER A ROLL TABLE Filed July 12, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 11, 1965 K. KLOTZBACH APPARATUS FOR CHANGING THE POSITION 0F BAR STOCK Filed July 12, 1962 MOVING OVER A ROLL TABLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J T A BA PO ROL May 11, 1965 KLOTZ CH 3,182,834

APPARATUS FOR- G ING THE SITION 0F BAR STOCK MOV NG VER A L TABLE F l d J 1y 12, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 .[zWe/nm' M AMMAJ United States Patent Germany Filed July 12, 1962, Ser. No. 209,371 Claims priority, application Germany, July 21, 1961,

9 Claims. ci. 214-338 This invention relates to apparatus for changing the po. sition of bar stock moving over a roll table. In known devices of this kind the stock moves between two rollers, each carried on the end of a tong arm the two arms being pivotable about a common horizontal axis. The arms can either be fixed in relation to the table or mounted on a bearer mounted for vertical movement in a truck movable along a gap below the roll table across the general direction of movement of the stock. In previous apparatus of this sort the tong arms have only been capable of pivoting through about 90- and have been moved by means of connecting rods involving a large number of links and levers. These components occupied considerable space and also, unless they were made very heavy and consequently bulky, did not stand up very well to the abrupt stressing which is unavoidable when handling this material.

According to the present invention such apparatus comprises a pair of tong arms each having a roller at its end whereby the stock may pass between the rollers, each arm being mounted so as to be rotatable through 180 about an axis common to both arms and perpendicular to the axes of the rollers, and having associated with it a rope or chain for rotating that arm independently of the other.

The chief advantage gained from this construction is the possibility of rotation through 180 but in addition the ropes or chains for controlling the arms take up relatively little room, and also enable the arms to be rotated either independently or together very simply. The reducv, tion of space means that the drive can be completely enclosed and thus protected against damage and against scale dropping off the stock being rolled.

Preferably each arm is mounted on a wheel, the two wheels being rotatable about a common supporting shaft, and each wheel has the respective rope or chain extending around part of its periphery.

Conveniently each rope or chain is endless and passes around a rotatable roller, and the endless member includes a link in the form of a piston mounted to work within a cylinder fixed in relation to the member and having means whereby fluid may be introduced to each end to move the piston in opposite directions and thus rotate the associated arm in opposite senses. This provides a very simple, and easily and accurately controllable method of rotating the arms through the required angle.

Apparatus according to the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is similar to FIGURE 1 but with the section taken on a different plane along the line 11-11 in FIG. 3;

FIGURE 2a is similar to FIG. 2 but with the section taken on a different plane so as to show the hydraulic system;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-section through the apparatus;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of part of the apparatus on an enlarged scale; and

FIGURES S, 6 and 7 show the tong arms of the apparatus handling bar stock in various positions.

ice

As is shown in FIGURES 1 to 3 the apparatus is carrie on a truck 1 having wheels 2 and 2a which run on tracl in a gap below the roll table. The roll table as such is n( shown, but one roller of the table is shown at 17 in FIG URES to '7, and it will be seen from these figures the the truck can be moved parallel to the axis of the rolle1 of the table, and thus transverse to the direction of mov ment of the bar stock over the table. The wheel 2a of th truck is driven by a motor 3 through worm gearing 4.

The truck carries a bearer 5 which is mounted so th: said bearer can be moved vertically with respect to tl'. truck by means of hydraulic pressure. For this purpos the bearer is formed with a cylinder 6, and a piston 7 rigidly secured to a portion 1' of the truck by way of piston rod 7a passing through a gland in the bottom of ti cylinder. The portion 1 of the truck extends through vertical slot 5' formed in bearer 5. By admitting fluid 1 the cylinder above the piston the bearer is raised with r4 spect to the truck, and by exhausting such fluid the bear: is lowered.

At its top end the bearer carries two tong arms 9 an 9', and both are mounted so as to be rotatable throng 180 about a common shaft 8. The tong arms can rollers 10 and 10' respectively at their free ends in tl conventional manner. Each arm is mounted on a who or pulley 11 and 11' respectively as can be seen in FK URES 2 and 3, and an endless flexible tension member i the form of a draw rope or chain 12 extends around di: 11, while a corresponding rope or chain 12' extends aroun the disc 11. To prevent slipping of the ropes they a1 rigidly secured to the wheels at points on the periphei of the wheels. Each draw rope 12, 12' respectively pass around a rotatable roller 13, 13' at the lower end of ti bearer 5 and is connected to one end of a piston 14, 14 The other end of each piston is connected to a further fre end of the respective rope so that each rope and pistc together form an endless member. The pistons 14 at 14' work in cylinders 15 and 15 respectively, and tl cylinders are rigidly connected to the bearer. Fluid c2 be admitted to each end of either cylinder and the dimer sions of the pistons and cylinders are such that the pistol can move so far in either direction from their central pot tion that the wheel to which they are connected is rotate through in either sense, thus allowing each of the tor arms a possible rotation of In order to grip the bar stock between the tong arms is necessary for them to be rotated independently so th they can be moved apart, and then together again to clan the stock between them. When they are in such a pos tion and the position of the stock needs to be changed tl arms must of course be moved together. To allow th independent or common rotation the two rollers 13 at 13 can be coupled to rotate together by way of a magnet coupling 16. If this is uncoupled, fluid admitted ind pendently to the two cylinders will move the arms ind pendently, and if it is coupled fluid need only be admitte to one of the cylinders to move both the arms togethe When this is done all fluid is exhausted from the secor cylinder so that the piston associated with it can mo freely through it.

FIGURES 5 to 7 show how bar stock of various cros sections moving over a roll table can be picked up in at desired direction from below or from either side at turned through a complete semi-circle to be guided bar on to the roll table in any required angular position.

Certain modifications to the apparatus are of cour possible and the bearer instead of moving rectilinear with respect to the truck 1 can be one arm of a bent leve the other arm of which is pivotally mounted on the trui about a horizontal axis parallel with the axles of the ru ning wheels 2 and 2a. In this case the draw ropes 1 tlHS extend by way of deflecting rollers as far as the arm unted in the truck 1, and their hydraulic drive can n be mounted on or in this arm. A bearer constructed this way is particularly useful when the head room ow the roll table is small, or when the apparatus is posed not on a special truck as shown, but on a shifting aight edge. Instead of being driven by the hydraulic angement shown the draw ropes or chains can alter- :ively be moved by rotation of the roller 13 or 13' and this case they are preferably fixed to the periphery this roller so that slipping cannot occur.

[ claim:

1. In an apparatus for changing the position of bar ck moving over a roll table, a pair of tong arms each ving a roller at one end freely rotatable about an axis ending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the pective arm, and a flexible tension member operatively mected to each of said arms for independently pivoting d arms with respect to each other through an angle of 3 about a pivot axis common to both arms, said pivot .s being perpendicular to the axes of said rollers and iidistant therefrom sothat the bar stock can be guided :ween said rollers as it moves over the roll table.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each flexible ,sion member is endless and passes around a rotatable ler.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the endless mber includes a link in the form of a piston mounted work within a cylinder fixed in relation to the member 1 having means whereby fluid may be introduced to :11 end to move the piston in opposite directions and IS pivot the associated arm in opposite senses. 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the arms are 'otably supported by a bearer mounted on a truck having :ans whereby it can be moved along a track below a gap nsverse to the general direction of movement of the ck over the roll table, and means are provided for movthe bearer relative to the truck in a direction substanlly perpendicular to the plane of the surface of the roll ale. 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said arms mounted on respective pulleyspivotable on a common sporting shaft, said shaft having an axis coinciding with d pivot axis, and said flexible tension members extend )und part of the periphery of the respective pulleys. 6. An apparatus for changing the position of bar stock )ving over a roll table, comprising a pair of tong arms :11 having a roller at one end freely rotatable about an is extending substantially in the longitudinal direction the respective arm, means for independently pivoting d arms with respect to each other through an angle of 0 about a pivot axis common to both said arms and rpendicular to the axes of and equidistant from said ilers so that the bar stock can be guided between said tlers as it moves over the roll table, and means for oting both said arms in unison whereby the position the bar stock guided between said rollers can be anged.

7. An apparatus for changing the position of bar stock moving over a roll table, comprising a pair of tong arms each having a roller at one end freely rotatable about an axis extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the respective arm and having a pulley at the other end thereof, both pulleys being mounted in alignment on a common shaft extending perpendicularly to the axis of said tong rollers, a rotatable roller spaced from each of said pulleys, an endless flexible tension member looped about each of said pulleys and the respective rotatable roller, said arms being independently pivotable about said common shaft by said flexible members through an angle of 180 so that the bar stock can pass between said rollers as it moves over the roll table, and means for magnetically coupling the pair of rotatable rollers for constraining said flexible members to pivot both said arms in unison about said shaft through an angle of 180 whereby the position of the bar stock passing between said tong rollers can be changed. 7

8. In an apparatus for changing the position of bar stock moving over a roll table, a pair of tong arms each having a roller at one end freely rotatable about an axis extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the respective arm, and means for independently pivoting said arms with respect to each other through an angle of 180 about a pivot axis common to both arms and perpendicular to the axes of and equidistant from said rollers so that the bar stock can be guided between said rollers as it moves over the roll table.

9. An apparatus for changing the position of bar stock moving over a roll table, comprising a pair of tong arms each having a roller at one end freely rotatable about an axis extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the respective arm and having a pulley at the other end thereof, both pulleys being mounted in alignment on a common shaft extending perpendicularly to the axis of said tong rollers, a rotatable roller spaced from each of said pulleys, an endless flexible tension member looped about each of'said pulleys and the respective rotatable roller, said arms being independently pivotable about said common shaft by said flexible members through an angle of 180 so that the bar stock can pass between said rollers as it moves over the roll table, and means for coupling the pair of rotatable rollers for constraining said flexible members to pivot both said arms in unison about said shaft" through an angle of 180 whereby the position of the bar stockpassing between said tong rollers can be changed.

FOREIGN PATENTS 941,785 4/56 Germany. 1,063,564- 8/59 Germany.

136,293 3/ 61 Russia.

-CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner, 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR CHANGING THE POSITION OF BAR STOCK MOVING OVER A ROLL TABLE, A PAIR OF TONG ARMS EACH HAVING A ROLLER AT ONE END FREELY ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF THE RESPECTIVE ARM, AND A FLEXIBLE TENSION MEMBER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID ARMS FOR INDEPENDENTLY PIVOTING 